Education Commons^™

A Qualitative Case Study Of Health-Related Baccalaureate And Graduate Web-Based Simulated Clinical Learning Platforms, Kathrine Choura Branch

Dissertations

Simulation has been recognized as a teaching, learning, evaluation, and research strategy based on learning theories, that has come to play a significant role in healthcare education (Beal et al., 2017; La Cerra et al., 2019). Health-related academic programs in higher education have traditionally used simulation to fill gaps in learning and strengthen students’ clinical and critical thinking skills in conjunction with didactic classroom content, laboratory practice, and clinical education in the community setting (Hayden et al., 2014). With the onset and unpredictability of COVID-19, there was almost an immediate need for health-related academic programs across the world to transition …

Learning About Metadata And Machines: Teaching Students Using A Novel Structured Database Activity, Andrew Iliadis, Tony Liao, Isabel Pedersen, Jing Han

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Machines produce and operate using complex systems of metadata that need to be catalogued, sorted, and processed. Many students lack the experience with metadata and sufficient knowledge about it to understand it as part of their data literacy skills. This paper describes an educational and interactive database activity designed for teaching undergraduate communication students about the creation, value, and logic of structured data. Through a set of virtual instructional videos and interactive visualizations, the paper describes how students can gain experience with structured data and apply that knowledge to successfully find, curate, and classify a digital archive of media artifacts. …

Critically Analyzing The Online Classroom: Blackboard, Moodle, Canvas, And The Pedagogy They Produce, J.D. Swerzenski

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Working from the crossroads of critical pedagogy and software studies, this study analyzes the means by which teaching technologies—in particular the popular learning management systems (LMS) Blackboard, Moodle, and Canvas—support a transmission model of education at the expense of critical learning goals. I assess the effect of LMSs on critical aims via four key critical pedagogy concepts: the banking system, student/teacher contradiction, dialogue, and problem-posing. From software studies, I employ the notion of affordances—what program functions are and are not made available to users—to observe how LMSs naturalize the transmission model. Rather than present a deterministic look at teaching technology, …

The Power Of Voice: Using Audio Podcasts To Teach Vocal Performance And Digital Communication, Amanda Hill

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Today’s students often speak through mediated technologies. Thus, understanding how nonverbal cues impact meaning-making is key to understanding effective communication across mediums. This case study explores a group project where students created audio podcasts to teach others about a specific aspect of communication studies while considering the way sound and vocal performance affect the transference of the message. This article examines the use of audio podcasts as a vehicle for teaching university students about the power of paralinguistic and chronemic nonverbal behaviors.

Using Photovoice As Pedagogy, Regina L. Garza Mitchell

Instructional Development Grants

Photovoice is a research method that, with some work, can be adapted for classroom use at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in a variety of disciplines. I see its greatest potential as elevating the students’ voices into teaching and learning conversations, which can help us improve our pedagogy for better learning.

Journal Of Communication Pedagogy, Complete Volume, 2019

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Critical Success Factors For Agile Project Management In Non-Software Related Product Development Teams, Jeff Totten

Dissertations

The use of agile project management methods in the software development industry is well established and researched. The purpose of this study is to understand whether agile project management methods (Scrum in particular) used successfully in the software industry are also being used in full, or in part, in non-software development industries when managing product development projects.

Using an online survey instrument, data was collected from 329 non-software/IT global practitioners to identify in what industries and work functions agile project management methods are used, to find the independent variables that have a significant relationship with project success, and to determine …

The Effectiveness Of Using Leadership Practice Lnventory (Lpl 360) Feedback On Leaders' Lnsight Into Their Leadership Behaviors In Higher Education, Abdulrahman S. Alajlan

Dissertations

One of the most popular 360-feedback processes for leadership development is the Leadership Practice Inventory (LPI 360). According to the Leadership Challenge website the LPI tool has been translated into six languages. In addition, it has been implemented in a variety of organizations around the world and there are about 500 studies that have been built around it. However, the popularity of the LPI 360-feedback is not enough reason for it to be adopted for higher education without assurance that it aligns with a higher education organization’s specific vision and goals. After reviewing approximately 153 LPI studies across 766 databases …

Preparing For 1:1 Technology: Impact On Collaboration, Instruction, And Student Learning, Pamela R. Schwallier

Masters Theses

The purpose of this action research project was to examine how the preparation of a 1:1 technology initiative, through professional development and early access to devices, in secondary (6-12) schools affected personal computing skills of teachers as well as collaboration, instruction, and student learning. This study takes place at West Ottawa Public Schools where district educators received personal Chromebooks and had ongoing professional development throughout the 2015-2016 school year to prepare specifically for the successful adoption of the 1:1 technology model in the 2017-2018 school year. The district is able to provide personal Chromebooks for all students entering grades 7-12 …

Parental Mediation On Children's Television Viewing In Malaysia, Diyana Kamarudin

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

The purpose of his study is to examine how Malaysian parents mediate their children's television viewing habits. This study looks at four types of mediation which are instructive, restrictive, social co-viewing and unstructured mediation. Data collection includes participants completing a daily diary over a one week period on how they mediate their children's television viewing and a one-on-one semi-structured interviews with each of the participant through web cam. In descending order the themes that were found to be the most important are religion, television is educational, parents advise children through television and television is used for families to get together.

Using Streaming Video In E-Learning Or In The Classroom, Michele D. Behr

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Presentations

This workshop presents an overview of using videos in classroom teaching as well as e-learning classes. WMU Libraries collections of streaming videos can be easily used in face-to-face classes, and embedded in e-learning. Instructional video DVDs are also available. The workshop also covered the process of embedding videos and video clips in websites and classes in D2L.

Integrating Art Education And Literacy Education: A Curriculum For The Secondary Level, Erin Moody-Zoet

Masters Theses

The purpose of this paper is to examine, through the design of a new curriculum, how the integration of reading and writing literacy into a visual arts curriculum can strengthen literacy skills as well as foster creative thinking at the middle school level. There is a growing demand for the integration of literacy in all core, and non-core curricula. By developing a curriculum that integrates literacy strategies in a visual arts program, as well as touches on the disconnect that I see between individuals and their own creative outlets, a curriculum is established that fosters and engages students in creative …

Investigation Of The Development Of Educational Ict Courses On Pre-Service Teachers’ Education Curricula, Sayuri Kojima

Masters Theses

Considering the 21^st - century children’s characteristics and needs, teachers need to realize the importance and necessity of educational technology integration, and understand how to use technology to facilitate student-centered instruction and achieve meaningful outcomes. Also, teacher education colleges need to provide pre-service teachers with practical activities using educational technologies prior to their teaching career. This will encourage new generation learners to learn with technology.

This study was conducted at a national university in Japan with 67 pre-service teacher participants. The five central research questions of this study were specifically focused assessing the course takers’ learning expectations in educational …

Online Learning Of Safe Patient Transfers In Occupational Therapy Education, Cynthia L. Hayden

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Online higher education is steadily increasing. For programs in allied health to be offered effectively in an e-learning format, clinical psychomotor skills need to be addressed. The aim of this research was to design, implement, and evaluate an online safe patient transfers module for occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students. The efficacy of teaching safe patient transfers in an e-learning environment was appraised using both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The applied research project was completed at a Tennessee community college. A convenience sample of eighteen students participated in the pilot study. Twenty-five students participated in the subsequent study. The instructional design …

Patterns Of Interaction And Mathematical Thinking Of High School Students In Classroom Environments That Include Use Of Java-Based, Curriculum-Embedded Software, Karen L. Fonkert

Dissertations

This study analyzes the nature of student interaction and discourse in an environment that includes the use of Java-based, curriculum-embedded mathematical software. The software CPMP-Tools was designed as part of the development of the second edition of the Core-Plus Mathematics curriculum. The use of the software on laptop computers in small groups of students, and in whole-class interactive lessons with a single computer at the front of the classroom was explored. Data were collected through observations, interviews, and selected items from the students’ regular assessments. During the observations, classroom discussion was audio-taped and videotaped, and field notes were taken. The …

Interpreting And Implementing English Language Arts State Standards/Expectations In Secondary Classrooms, Amanda Stearns-Pfeiffer

Dissertations

In my dissertation, I investigate the way in which English Language Arts (ELA) state standards are being interpreted and implemented, and how this implementation process affects the curricular decisions teachers make. This project focuses generally on the standards movement in American education, and more specifically on the ways teachers navigate the standards in their own classrooms.

The goal of this study is to problematize and better understand the end-result of current standards as they are conceived of by the final arbiters and interpreters of those standards – classroom English language arts teachers. Much work has been done in creating standards, …

A Survey Of Elementary School Technology Needs: A Needs Assessment, Shaun Kellogg

Masters Theses

Given the potential of technology to enhance teaching and learning, there is little surprise that schools have been investing in technology. Unfortunately, technology has been and continues to be an expensive and ongoing investment. Recent federal mandates and public demand have led to increasing pressures on schools to show results and to justify such heavy expenses as technology. Sandy Grove Elementary has followed national trends in its recognition of technology's potential, its increasing investment, and its need to justify this expense with hard evidence. Sandy Grove is still in the early stages of its evaluation process and currently there is …

Social Work Field Instructors' Perceptions Of On-Line Training, Denise E. Dedman

Dissertations

Social work has recently identified the field placement as the signature pedagogy of the profession, yet little has been done to identify the best means of training field instructors to supervise students in their field placements. This study addressed attitudes and perceptions of social work field instructors regarding on-line training in their roles. While previous studies of university social work program field placement directors had been conducted, there exist no broad studies of the field instructors' perceptions. Some earlier qualitative studies of field instructors identified time constraints as a significant issue in their willingness to continue accepting interns. This, along …

Budgeted Money In Staff Development And Technology Integration, Chad Frerichs

Masters Theses

Many studies have been done on the different styles of professional staff development for teachers and administrators in the area of technology and its integration into the classroom. One element has been consistently ignored in recent studies, the amount of money being spent on staff development.

This research attempted to uncover the relationship between expenditures on staff development activities for educational technology and the extent of technology integration occurring in K-12 schools. With shrinking budgets throughout the education system in this country, an answer is needed. As Butler says in her review of the research, "Further studies of this type …

Electronic Literacy: Teaching Literary Reading Through The Digital Medium, Robert Adams Rozema

Dissertations

Over the last decade, digital technology has become an increasingly important part of education. In the discipline of English language arts, digital technology has been enlisted to teach writing, as the word processor and more recently, the World Wide Web, have provided new tools and new publishing opportunities for student writers. The presence of digital technology is less pronounced, however, in literature instruction in secondary schools. In both theoretical and practical discussions of digital technology and literature, the two mediums have been conceived as radically different. This dissertation argues that the digital medium, and more specifically the World Wide Web, …

Effects Of Computer Troubleshooting On Elementary Students' Problem Solving Skills, Anne Todd Ottenbreit

Masters Theses

The lack problem solving skills exhibited by students has generated concerns at national and state levels of education (Coleman, King, and Ruth, 2001). If the educational technology curriculum involved computer troubleshooting, students could possibly increase their problem solving abilities. Because computer troubleshooting follows similar procedures to problem solving, there is possibility of an educational transfer and could be easily included into the educational technology curriculum. The purpose of the research study was to discover if the computer troubleshooting curriculum designed by the researcher affected the elementary students' problem solving abilities. Technology education at the elementary level includes keyboarding and 'practice …

Online Networks In Institutions Of Higher Education: An Assessment Of Student Use, Norbaiduri Ruslan

Masters Theses

Online networks in university campuses are expected to enhance the learning process, an argument founded on the theories of Cognitive Apprenticeship, Situated Cognition, and Social Constructivism. However, the extent to which students use these networks should be a significant predictor of such benefits.

This study investigated the patterns of use of online networks in universities with a survey administered to 299 students enrolled in a random sample of undergraduate classes at Western Michigan University during the summer semester of 1998.

The findings show extensive use of email and the World Wide Web for activities that arguably benefit their education. Other …

Teacher Proximity As An Instructional Variable In The Use Of Interactive Video, Rosalie L. Kirsch

Masters Theses

Teacher proximity during the use of the video disc Mastering Fractions produced by Systems Impact (1984) was investigated for effects on student on-task behavior. The study used a randomized multi-element design and was implemented in two classrooms at the junior high school level. In Phase 1, the 12 subjects were enrolled in a regular education mathematics classroom. The seven students in Phase 2 were enrolled in a special education classroom in the same school. During both phases, students were observed during teacher proximity and non-proximity conditions. Results of the study indicate no observable differences in student attending behavior when comparing …

The Reading Connection: A Leadership Initiative Designed To Change The Delivery Of Educational Services To At-Risk Children, Gary Compton

Dissertations

For many young children, the process of learning to read in school is cumbersome and extremely difficult. As a result, remedial or compensatory services are provided to these students. Once these at-risk students are targeted for remedial services, generally through the Chapter 1 program (Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 1965), they receive small group reading instruction from a specifically trained professional teacher. A problem occurs when these children, generally the poorest readers in their class, do not make significant gains when compared to their age-appropriate peers.

In the winter of 1988, a collaborative project between Western Michigan University and the …

Implementing Computer Use In A 5th Grade Curriculum: A Study Of The Process Of Implementation And Subsequent Impact, Walter F. Davison

Masters Theses

There has recently been an intensive effort on the part of school systems, administrators, teachers, and parents to bring computers into everyday classroom use. Yet, to a large degree, this effort has proceeded without appropriate planning about just how computers can best be used and integrated into the curriculum.

This study focuses on how an independent elementary school with a minimum of resources went about the process of integrating computer usage in the fifth grade, the steps required for integration and for continued student use of computers in the school. Computer usage was introduced as part of the writing classes …

The Identification And Assessment Of Interaction In Educational Microcomputer Software, Pamela J. Zeller

Dissertations

Many professionals involved with the educational use of microcomputers have indicated that criteria for evaluating software are often based on speculation and intuition and that there is a need to establish valid evaluative criteria. Among the elements comprising most evaluation schemes is interaction. The literature suggests that both an operational definition for the term interaction as applied to educational microcomputer software and a means to validly assess such interaction are necessary. The purpose of the study was to systematically develop such an operational definition and to develop and validate an instrument and a procedure to assess this interaction. Using a …

The Use Of Microcomputer Programs To Improve The Reliability And Validity Of Content Analysis In Evaluation, Richard D. Frisbie

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to advance the body of knowledge about how practicing evaluators can use microcomputer programs to obtain reliable and valid content analyses of responses to open-ended survey questions. This is important because practitioners often analyze such responses as part of larger evaluation efforts. To address this general problem, content analysis experts have developed methods of survey and discovery to help delineate new category systems and obtain codes for responses based on existing categories. Fortunately, some of the methods can be implemented with general purpose microcomputer programs. For example, key words out of context--word lists--can be …

A Study Of Effects Of A Systematically Designed Promotional Message On The Acceptance Of Michigan Regional Educational Media Centers By Nonusers, Jaswant Singh

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using a systematically planned and presented promotional message on increasing the number of public and private K-12 teachers who use the media services of the REMCs.

The following hypotheses were tested: (1) There will be a difference in the proportion of teachers requesting REMC media services in the experimental and control groups as a result of the use of a systematically designed promotional message. (2) There will be a difference in the mean number of media items requested by users in the experimental and control groups as a result …

Teaching Self-Protective Behaviors To Preschool Children Using A Videotape Training Program, Paul James Yoder

Masters Theses

This study investigated the effectiveness of a videotape training program to teach self-protective skills to preschool children. Children were taught to say, "I have to ask my teacher/parent," and to run to their teacher/parent when presented with one of two lures commonly used by child molesters. The videotape incorporated the direct instructional techniques of active pupil responding; the model, lead, and test format; and use of minimally different stimuli to teach children to discriminate between correct and incorrect responses. The results showed that although none of the subjects showed any improvement in responding after only one viewing, five of the …

Learner-Controlled Instruction And An Lci Program To Train Motor Carrier Sales Representatives, David Richard Macdonald

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.